The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1887-11-02
BUTLER TAKES SIDES.
Is VIII Bappsrt me Democratic Ticket in
Massachusetts,.
and Gives His Reason in Pointed and Wig
srous LaaSusge-Civi Service Hum
bag Temperance Question.


+. Butler never wrote q more vigorous po-
Iitical document than that in which ne
announced his position in the pending
State canvass, and which will be published
Tomorrow. In it he discusses very plain
ly and forcibly the issues of State labor ar
bitration, the civil service Legislative cor
rupticn, and the liquor question, He ar
rsigns recent Republican administration in
the State for increasing the State debt and
the rate of taxation, and argues that any
shange viii be for the better. sour State
officers" he says, "nave been largely in
sreasing in number aud in salaries at every
session of the Legislature during the past
four years. New Commissions have been
made, and old ones given larger emolu.
ments, until, IN my& Judgment
our Commonwealth is overrun and over
taxed with officers. An illusory body,
called Commissioners of Arbitration, has
been established, apparently to determine
questions between the employers and Ia
boring men, but as the Commission has
not the slightest power to do anything, it
Is impractical as any other powerless
thing, and only useful to purs5ade labor
ing men that the Republican administra-
lion has given them tribunal to decide
questions In which they interested.
There has been another ill-advi5ed aud
uselsss Commission created. | don't re-
member il now by its statute name, bat
1t is not worth while to get up to look at
Civil Service Commission, which is 10 eK-
sninS the literary qualifications OF the
minor employees ana officers OF the State
IL they would get competent Commits.
Sion and begin at the head of affairs, and
go down, it might not be inopportune to
have it, provided men competent could
be found 10 do it; but to oegin at the other
END and come up little ways-I am
against such a Commission. No man Of
business employs his help in that way; no
corporation has ever used such commIs-
sion in its very large aud extensive work,
requiring great deal OF executive aud
other ability. / trust there are very few
men born in Massachusetts, who have re-
seiVed a common school education and
such others as they could get some of
which might interfere with their compe-
fency, who are incompetent to do the Or
binary business of carrying on government,
no more and no less. All that performance
Of official examination, what we call civil
service reform, is utterly useless as we
know. and utterly undemocratic. 1t has
no part in q Democratic government,
where every man may aspire to be the
President OF the United States, aud there
san be no civil service examina alton on
that question; but if be aspires to be a
&overnment messenger to run around and
do errands, he is TO be examined as to his
literary qualifications, but not as TO the
thews and sinews OF his legs."
Upon the subject of recent revelations of
bribery in the New Hampshire and Massa-
shusetIs Legislatures, Gen. Butler uses this
vigorous language:
IF we are to look to the vetoes or two
Republican Governors of bills passed by
Legislatures where the Republicans hold
nnapproachable majorities, it would be a
natural conclusion that, instead OF civil
service reform in under offices, we want
legislative criminal reform in Senator'S and
~ to- In knfH I ~ssfo
lures the fact claimed to be admitted by
the Governors is that it had come to pass
that measures we're expected to be carried
or defeated wholly by the use of bribery
and corruption. That, of course, must be
The bribery and corruption of the majority,
1AtiOn, aud the very large maJoritieS
on both occasions are from the Republi-
can party. Would ii not be the part
Of wisdom in the people to change that
and try to get somebody OF a different
complexion of politics, in the hope that
their representative had not been IN politi-
cal place long enough to have Learned
the ropes?n II legislators can not be found
who can withstand the temptations of the
bribers, then it would be wisdom TO take
away that temptation. But you will say,
"How can that be doue?' Very easily, If
you can get honest legislators enough to-
Eether to pass a proper bill against bribery
a
10 the good people of this Common wealth
unoer these circumstances, leaving out de-
tails ard the necessary verbiage OF legisla-
lion. like this, was passed: IF any act of
the Legisisture, giving any special privi-
]eges to any persons, shall at any time af-
ter its passage, be brought before the Su-
pTeme Court by permission of any inform
or, stating that bribery or attem pted brib-
cry had occurred at its passage, upon the
fact being found by the Court, the act
should ne declared null and void by the
Court. and all property, privilege or bene-
ut obtained under 1t should be for
feiLed by the Court to the Common
wealth for the maintenance Of the State
prison; except p per cent thereof, whtcn
should 20 to the inf0rmer; ana anyone
telling the truth upon the witness stand al
q hearing concerning the crime, who shall
have received, offered OF given any bride
shall never be prosecuted for so doing. /
hope nobody will criticise the wording OF
this bill. will draw it in form whenever thu
Legislature will pass it, aud then venture
TO say that nobody will want bill passei
through the Legislature that has the smell
Of corruption upon its garments, because
the rsscsls who gave or took the bride,
having spent the money, Will come down
upon the corporators for more, which mus
be paid then, or else the corporatOrs will
Lose their act. Perhaps bill OF like con-
ditioDs vonld not be Inappropriate for the
sity OF Boston, although it might hit the
same political party in all its provisions"
Upon the temperance question, Gen.
Butler says;
1T is time that the question relating to
The prohibi ton OF the manufacture and
sale of Intoxicating IIqyors was settled. l
DO not believe for one moment in the dodge
of local option. That is not the way
government can be carried on in any re-
gard. II each town had q Chinese wall
around 1t hundred feet high or less, over
which 30 one of it's inhabitants ever pass
ed to interfere with the people of the ad-
Joining town, then il might be we'll enough
10 let that town, being separated from the
rest of the world, settle the question of
drinking spirituous liquor for itself, as in
that il alone is interested. Bat towns are
not 30 divided and separated. We are all
knit together in one combination OF inter
ests and methods OF carrying on civil gov
eminent, and il liquor Is sold without lin
it or STINT in one town, the youth
OF another town, whose fathers
believe that the common use of in.
Soxicsting liquor is q calamity, and
that the sale of 1t with the ordinary en-
Elements Is q curse, and therefore prohibit
ahe sale in their community, viii be en-
xiced into the town where il is sold, and
they are brought to their ruin aud perhaps
death, aud the men made drunk In that